Page 37 of Pressure

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Marissa sat at the reception desk that night and worked through the guest list of people who had checked in. After breakfast, she’d asked Lance to show her how to work check-in so she could do it during tonight’s party. On the one hand, she wanted to talk to every person who came through the door. On the other hand, she wanted an excuse not to be in the dungeon with Lance. Last night had done a number on her emotions.

It also gave her more time at the computer digging through code and other information. Right now, she was checking names on the guest list and looking up when they joined the club and more specifically when they filled out their application. Since things seemed to start around the time Isabelle submitted her application, she figured it might be good to look at everyone who joined during that time just to make sure they weren’t working against the club. She’d quietly started with Isabelle but quickly marked her off the list. The girl clearly loved this place and Garrett and would do nothing to undermine it.

The desk phone rang, and she picked it up. According to Lance only a few people actually had the number, so it was important to answer when it rang.

“Hello.” She winced, unable to remember what she was supposed to say.

“Miss Sullivan, my name is Dale. Can you find Elijah for me please?”

“I think he’s…” she trailed off, unsure how much to tell him since Eli and Holly had gone to the dungeon not ten minutes earlier. She knew Dale was Eli’s driver and security expert but didn’t know how much he knew about their lifestyle.

Dale chuckled. “It’s OK, Miss Sullivan. I get your drift. Lance or Russell would also be acceptable.”

“Is everything OK?”

“Just a suspicious character at the gate.”

“I can send security.”

“No. One of the board members would be preferable.”

“OK. I’m on my way.”

It was a cordless phone, so she took it with her to go in search of Lance. She found him in the dungeon sitting on a stool just inside the door.

“What is it?” he asked when he saw the phone in her hand. His hand came to rest on her elbow and he steered her back into the relative quietness of the bar.

“I have Dale on the phone. Says there is a suspicious person lurking near the gate. I offered to send security, but he wants a board member.”

He reached for the phone.

“This is Lance, Dale. What’s going on?”

Marissa watched as he listened to the phone.

Absently, Lance lifted a hand and ran it through her hair.

She bit her lip and took a step back.

“Sorry,” he mouthed.

“OK. Thanks, Dale. We have another three hours before we shut down. I’m going to ask security to check the back way out of here and see if that’s a safer route to send our people.”

He handed her the phone and bent to kiss her cheek.

“What was that for?” she asked as she touched the spot his lips had been.

“Thanks for being here.”

She swallowed and gave a nod. “Of course.”

Back at the desk, she continued digging through the membership database.

Everything seemed to be in order, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she would find her hacker in the application process.

She pulled out her laptop and pulled up a command line to route into the back end of the club website.

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